Wire-drawing apparatus



May 1-1940. A D-JQHNSQN 2.199.494

' WIRE-DRAWING APPARATUS4 Filed Dec. 17, 193,8 z sheets-sheet 1 Figl ' Ghdrles lldohnson bygamwwlff Any.

May 7, 1940.

` c. D. JoHNsoN Filed nee. 17, 195e y WIRE-DRAWING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2,88 2S ,25B |829 l Inven'ror. A IS" 8 |S Chures DUol-mson M 2Q L] ATTyS.

Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES WIRE-DRAWIN G APPARATUS Charles D. Johnson, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Johnson' Steel &, Wire Company, Inc., Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application'necember 17, 193s,seria1No. 246,353

4 Claims.

This invention relates to wire-drawing machines and particularly to wire-drawing machines that employ dry lubricant for lubricating the die and the wire as it is drawn'therethrough.

The invention is herein shown as it might be embodied in a continuous Wire-drawing machine of that type in which the dry lubricant is applied to the wire as it is being Wound on each drum after having been drawn through a drawing die.

l In this type of wire-drawing machine, the dry lubricant which is thus applied to the wire will adhere thereto in suilcient quantity so that as the wire passes from the drawing drum to the next die, it will carry with it sufficient dry lubricant to lubricate properly both thedie and the wire as it is drawn therethrough.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved manner of supplying the dry lubricant to the wire as it is being wound w on the drum, and also to the wire-receiving surface of the drum.

f In accordance with the invention, each drawing drum has associated therewith a chute constructed and situated to deliver dry lubricant de# posited thereon onto the wire as it is wound on chute.

, in the appended claims.

the drawing drum and also onto the wire-receiving surface of said drum.

'Ihe dry lubricant may be supplied to the chute in vari'ous ways without departing from the invention. One way is by means of a hopper having a delivery spout through which the dry lubricant is delivered to the chute, and another way is by means of a conveyor which conveys the dry lubricant from a source of supply to the In order to give anx understanding of the invention, I have illustrated inthe drawings some embodiments thereof which will now be described after which. the novel features will be pointed out In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section of one of the drawing drums of a continuous Wire-drawing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View o1 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a more or less diagrammatic view illustrating a portion of a continuous wire-drawing machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a v'lew similar to Fig. 1 but showing a different embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4; v

Fig. 6 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating a portion of a continuous wire-drawing apparatus having the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring rst to Fig. 3 in which there is shown aportion of a continuous wire-drawing apparatus, I indicates a plurality of drawing dies throughwhich the wire 2 is drawn successively, and 3 indicates the drawing drums by which the wire is drawn through the dies I. Each drawing drum is provided with the exterior wire-receiving surface 4 on which the wire 2 is wound as it is drawn through the die, and as usual in continuous wire-drawing machines, the wire makes several turns 5 about the wire-receiving surface 4 of each drum, there being a sufficient number of turns 5 on each drum to provide the necessary traction for drawing the wire through the die I. Each drum is shown as mounted on its supporting shaft- 6, and any suitable or usual driving mechanism may be employed for rotating the shafts 6. -I indicates idler rolls around which the wire 2 passes after leaving one drum and on its passage to the next die. The parts thus far described are such as are usually found in continuous wire-drawing machines and form no part of my present invention, which, as Stated above, relates to the manner of supplying dry lubricant to the wire as it is wound on the wirereceiving surface 4 of the drum.

In accordance with my invention, each drawing drum 3 has associated therewith a chute member 8 into which dry lubricant 9 may be deposited and which is situated to deliver the dry lubricant 9 onto the wire 2 as it is being wound o n the drum 3, and also to deliver said dry lubricant against the wire-receiving surface 4 of the drum at the point where the wire is being wound thereon.

This chute 8 may be supported in any suitable or usual way, and as shown in Fig. 1, it is carried by an arm I0 of a supporting bracket Il that is secured to the table I2 of the wire-drawing machine.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 this bracket II also supports a funnel-shaped hopper I3 into which the dry lubricant may be deposited, said hopper having a delivery spout I4 through which the dry lubricant is delivered onto the chute 8.

I5 indicates an annular pan or receptacle which is shown-as supported on the table I2 and as surrounding the drum, said receptacle serving to catch any surplus dry lubricant which spills oi from the drum 3. The dry lubricant 9 which accumulates in the pan I5 may be scooped up by the attendant and deposited into the hopper I3 again.

In the operation of the device, the drawing of the wire through any die heats the wire more or less, and the heated wire passes directly from any die to the drawing drum 3 by which the wire is drawn through the die. As the heated Wire is wound on the drum, the dry lubricant 9 is applied to the drum and the wire-receiving surface thereof by means of the chute 8 thereby providing suflicient lubrication between the turns 5 of the wire and the wire-receiving surface 4 of the drum to prevent any wear on either the wire or the drum due to slippage between the wire and the drum.

There will be suicient dry lubricant adhering to the wire after it leaves the drum 3 to provide proper lubrication for the next die I, and for the Wire as it passes through said die. After the wire has passed through said next die, it then passes to the next drawing drum where it receives another application of lubricant. The heat in the wire is suilcient to soften the lubricant so that the lubricant will adhere to the wire in sufficient quantity to provide the necessary lubrication for the wire as it enters the next die and also to provide suiiicient lubrication between the turns 5 of the wire and the wire-receiving surface of the drum.

With this manner of applying the dry lubricant it is possible to speed up the wire-drawing operation by rotating the drums at an increased speed. As the speed of the drums increases, the rapid rotation of the drum tends to throw the dry lubricant off from the drum by centrifugal action, and to prevent it from being thrown into the room, I propose to employ a shield or deector I6 situated adjacent each chute and in such a position that any dry lubricant which is thrown outwardly by the drum at the point where the dry lubricant is applied thereto will be caught by the shield I6 and thus returned to the receptacle In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I have illustrated a different embodiment of the invention in which a conveyor is'employed to supply the dry lubricant to the chute instead of the hopper illustrated in Figs. l and 2.

In this embodiment, each drawing drum 3 has associated therewith a chute 28 to deliver the dry lubricant against the drum and a pan or receptacle I8 containing the dry lubricant 9, and there is illustrated a belt conveyor I9 having buckets 2U adapted to take dry lubricant from the pan I8 and deliver it into the upper end of the chute 28. This belt conveyor I9 is carried by two pulleys 2|, 22, mounted on shafts 23, 24, that are journaled in a suitable bracket or support 25.

Any suitable means for operating the conveyors I9, there being one conveyor for each drawingv drum, may be employed. As herein shown, the lower driving pulleys 2| for all the conveyors are mounted on a common driving shaft 23 which may be operated from any suitable source of power.

29 indicates a deector similar to the deflector I8 in Fig. 2, the purpose of which is to prevent the dry lubricant which is delivered from the chute 28 from being thrown into the air by centrifugal action due to a rapidly rotating drum 3.

In the operation of the device, any dry lubricant which becomes deposited on the portion of the pan I8 opposite the conveyor may be moved down to the conveyor end of the pan by the operator, thereby keeping a supply of the dry lubricant at the place where the conveyor is in operation.

I claim:

1. A wire-drawing machine comprising a plurality of dies through which the Wire passes successively, a drawing drum for each die having a wire-receiving surface on which the wire is wound after it passes through the die, means to rotate the drums, a stationary chute adjacent each drum and arranged to deliver ldry lubricant against the wire-receiving surface of the drum, means to deliver dry lubricant to each chute, and a stationary pan encircling each drum and in which the surplus dry lubricant collects.

2- A wire-drawing machine comprising a drawing die, a drawingdrum rotating about a vertical axis and having a wire-receiving surface on which the wire is wound as it is drawn through the die, means to rotate the drum, a chute adjacent the drum and arranged to deliver dry lubricant against the wire-receiving surface thereof, means to deliver dry lubricant to said chute, and a stationary pan encircling the drum and in which the surplus dry lubricant collects.

3. A wire-drawing machine comprising a plurality of dies through which the wire passes successively, a drawing drum for each die having a wire-receiving surface on which the wire is wound after it passes through the die, means to rotate the drums, a chute adjacent each drum and arranged to deliver dry lubricant on to the wirereceiving surface of the drum and onto the wire as it is wound thereon, means to deliver dry lubricant to each chute, and a stationary pan encircling each drum and in which surplus dry lubricant is collected.

4. A wire-drawing machine comprising a drawing die, a drawing drum having a wire-receiving surface on which the wire is wound as it is drawn through the die, means to rotate the drum, a stationary chute adjacent the drum .and arranged to deliver dry lubricant against the wirereceiving surface thereof, means to deliver dry lubricant to said chute, a stationary pan encircling the drum and in which the surplus dry lubricant collects, and a stationary deflector situated adjacent the point at which the dry lubricant is delivered to the drum and which operates to deect back into the pan dry lubricant which is thrown off from the drum by centrifugal action.

CHARLES D. JOHNSON. 

